An inductor is a passive device for removing noise by forming an electronic circuit, together with a resistor and a capacitor. An inductor is used for a resonance circuit and a filter circuit for amplifying a signal within a given frequency band in combination with a capacitor using electromagnetic characteristics.
Recently, with the evolution of electronic products, especially smartphones, there has been an increase in demand for thin power inductors to withstand high current, have high efficiency, high performance, and a small size, and demand for low profile power inductors having a 1005 size, (width×length 1.0 mm×0.5 mm) and 0.5T (thickness 0.5 mm), is gradually increasing.
A method of manufacturing a thin film-type power inductor is divided into a substrate process and a post process. First, a dry film is exposed and developed on a copper clad laminate (CCL) substrate having a thickness of about 60 μm, and then a plating process is performed. Thereafter, a through-hole is formed in an interior of a coil through laser processing, and an insulating material is applied to the coil. Thereafter, the substrate structure is pressed, stacked and filled using a sheet-shaped metal-resin composite. Then, a completed chip is manufactured through dicing, grinding, and external electrode forming processes. In the case of a thin film-type power inductor, because coils are formed on the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate, considerable thickness is required due to thickness of the upper coil and the lower coil. Thus, there are limitations to implementing a thin film-type inductor having a low profile.